Zenit-Kazan secured a straight-set victory against Dynamo Moscow with scores of 25-22, 25-17, and 25-17 in the opening match of the Russian Volleyball Championship playoff final series.
The match began with a few errors from the Kazan team but they quickly recovered, gaining the upper hand with a block by Artiom Volvich against Ilya Vlasov’s high attack, making the score 8-7. Both teams were closely matched initially, but pivotal plays by Sam Deroo and Maksim Mikhaylov helped Zenit pull ahead. The game saw Dynamo Moscow making a strong comeback attempt in the first set, narrowing the gap to 22-23, but Zenit managed to clinch the set victory.
In subsequent sets, Zenit-Kazan’s superior performance continued. Despite efforts from Dynamo’s players, Zenit managed to maintain their lead, capitalizing on Dynamo’s missteps.
Zenit’s head coach Alexey Verbov praised the team’s emotional resilience and minimal errors as key factors in their success, while Dynamo’s coach Konstantin Bryanskiy acknowledged the need to reduce mistakes and prepare for a tougher second game.
